by Kylie Walker
Chapter 5
Asher was in a great mood. It was Friday night and he was taking Mia out for dinner. He had made reservations at a nice restaurant in Raton, a small town not far from them. The restaurant was Mulligan’s and it served Mexican and American food. He bought a new shirt for the occasion and was just buttoning it up when he heard a commotion in the hallway. His parents were still at work as far as he knew and none of the staff were usually in the house past six. Curious but not alarmed yet, he opened his bedroom door. He saw the large figure of his father, crumpled on the floor next to the master bedroom.
“Dad? Are you okay? What happened?” Asher rushed over to him and as soon as he got within a foot of him he smelled the booze. The strong odor of the stale whiskey made his stomach turn. “You’re drunk?” He already knew it…but he still posed it as a question. He should have been at work or at least just getting home from work.
He looked up at his son. His eyes were bloodshot and the front of his shirt was stained. As a matter of fact his clothes were wrinkled like he had slept in them. He had a red mark along the side of the face that looked like it was going to turn into a bruise, probably from hitting the wall just now.
“Asher.”
The sound of his name on his father’s drunken lips pissed him off more. “What the hell are you doing? Mom will be home soon. You can’t let her see you like this!”
His father leaned forward and at first Asher wondered if he was going to pass out. He realized then that his father was trying to use his arms to push himself up off the floor. With a disgusted sigh Asher slid his arm under his father’s and pulled him to his feet. He teetered slightly and then pressed his palm to the wall to steady himself. “You reek! Why weren’t you at work?” It suddenly dawned on Asher that he hadn’t seen his father since maybe Wednesday. He had thought they were missing each other, but from the looks of it, he hadn’t showered or changed clothes in days.
His father looked at him again like he was trying hard to focus on his son’s face. “Watch the way you talk to me,” he shot. Asher wasn’t one to disrespect his parents. As an only child he always had a close relationship with them both. He had been raised to be respectful and polite but it was hard to feel anything but contempt for his father in his current state.
He took another deep breath and said, “You need to get in the shower before Mom gets home.” He was still holding onto his father’s arm. He jerked it away from Asher and pushed open the bedroom door. Asher stood in the doorway and watched as his father stumbled across the room towards the mini-bar. “Are you fucking kidding me? I hope you don’t think you’re going to have another drink.”
His dad ignored him and pulled out a bottle of scotch. Asher completely lost it. All of the emotions he had been holding back since the day his mother told him she was dying pushed through all at once, ignited by his disgust for the way his father was handling things. He flew across the room in a rage and jerked the bottle out of his father’s hands.
“What the hell are you doing?” His father bellowed.
“I’m keeping my mother from having to come home and see the cowardly drunk she married.” His dad did something then that in nearly eighteen years of Asher’s young life had never seen him do. He took a swing at his son. His coordination was off from the alcohol and Asher easily dodged it. The intent had been real however and it only fuelled Asher’s anger. He pushed his father and he stumbled back into the wall. His dad was looking at him with shock on his face. Asher had never even considered putting his hands on his father before, but this was too much. Even knowing that the stress and the helplessness he felt over his mother’s illness was causing him to drink held little water as far as Asher was concerned. He always looked up to his father and the man he saw in front of him today was not the man he knew at all.
“You’re the CEO of a respected company. What the hell are your employees and your customers going to think if they see you somewhere like this? If you won’t clean-up for Mom, the person you should, at least think about the business you will lose when people in this little town start figuring out you’re a damn drunk.”
Asher stepped close to his father and this time he didn’t make any move to strike him or fight him. Putting his hand on his dad’s arm he led him into the bathroom and turned on the shower. “I’m going to make you some strong, black coffee and you’re going to drink it and sober up before mom gets home.” He turned and left him standing there. He wasn’t sure if he even had time to clean him up before his mom got home, but he was going to damned sure try.
When the coffee was ready he took the cup of black steaming liquid upstairs and was surprised to see that his dad had actually showered. Asher noticed that he had a three days growth of beard and said, “Sit down and drink this. We’re going to clean up your face. Where does mom think you’ve been?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Asher was tempted to slap him in the back of the head. “She has to be freaking out.”
“I called her.” He looked like he was about to fall asleep. Asher shoved the mug in his hand and wrapped his fingers around it.
“Drink!” he ordered as he started lathering up his father’s face. Asher had never shaved anyone but himself, but half-assing it would be better than nothing. As his father sipped the coffee, Asher shaved the black and gray peppered stubble off of his face. His father sat still like a child or a mental patient, Asher thought. Twenty minutes and only two nicks later, his father looked human again almost. Asher went to the closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He tossed them on the bed and said, “Get dressed. I’ll get you another cup of coffee.”
“I don’t want any more coffee!”
Asher turned and looked at him with his intense green eyes. “Too fucking bad,” he said.
**
Asher was fifteen minutes late to pick up Mia. He had called her before he left home and her mother hung up on him twice. Suffice to say, Mia had broken the news to them about dating him. Finally the third time he called Travis picked up the phone. “Hey Bro, sorry about that. Ask for me from now on.”
Asher laughed. He wondered if Travis knew how often his mother hung up on him when he did ask for him. He let it go and said, “Will you tell Mia I’m on my way and I’m sorry for being late. I had some family stuff.”
“Yeah, I’ll do you one better. I’ll drive her down to the end of the driveway so you don’t have to deal with the glare of the parental units.”
Asher laughed. “Thanks. The steaming holes they bored through me the last two times I picked her up haven’t healed yet. What are you doing tonight?”
“Dean and I are doing some night fishing. If you two lovebirds finish with your dinner early enough, you should come out. We’ll be at the basin.”
“Sounds romantic.”
“Fuck you. Get a girlfriend and all of a sudden you are too good for us.”
Asher laughed. “I’ll be right there.”
“Hey wait! You said you had ‘family stuff.’ Is your mom okay?”
“Yeah, she’s doing great actually. I can’t say the same about the old man.”
“Oh.” Travis knew about Asher’s father’s drinking since the diagnosis. There wasn’t much that went on with Asher that Travis didn’t know about. He was also smart enough to figure out if Asher needed to talk about it he would, otherwise he left it alone.
Asher was at the end of the Halloway’s long drive-way ten minutes later. He stepped out of the Mustang and watched as Mia stepped out of her brother’s pick-up. She was wearing a denim skirt that came down to just above her knees and a white eyelet blouse that buttoned up the front. Her long hair lay in thick masses across her shoulders and down her back and her gorgeous hazel eyes were sparkling. His breath caught in his throat every time he looked at her, but this time there were things going on all through his body. He kissed her cheek and breathed in her fresh scent and then waved at Travis. Travis stuck his head o
ut the window and said, “You kids behave.”
Asher grinned. “Always.” The look on Travis’s face before he drove away told Asher that the intimate details of his relationship with Mia was where he wanted to draw the line at knowing everything. Asher slid in behind the wheel and looked over at his gorgeous date. “You look incredible.”
She smiled, completing the picture. “So do you, as always,” she said.
Chapter 6
Mia’s belly was trembling violently as she and Asher drove away from her family’s home. They had been officially ‘dating’ for about four weeks, but the thrill of being with him never got old. As a matter of fact, it only got more thrilling.
“I made reservations at Mulligan’s. Is that okay?”
“That sounds great. How’s your mom?”
“She’s amazing. She just started her chemo last week, and she still goes to work for eight hours every day. She still takes her walk every night and she still organizes all those charity things on the weekends not to mention that she force-feeds me a homemade breakfast every Sunday morning.”
Mia laughed. “No offense but I’ve seen you eat. I doubt there is too much force involved.”
Asher grinned, “You have a point there.”
“Travis said you had some ‘issues’ earlier. Is everything okay with your dad?”
Asher rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what to say about him or do for that matter. He’s turning into a drunk. It’s crazy because it’s the furthest thing from what he ever was before. I’m losing respect for him by the day.”
“He’s going through an awful lot.”
Asher looked over at her and smiled sadly. “That’s what my mother says. You two should be related.” Mia felt her face flush. She dreamt more than once over the years about being related to Asher’s mom and not by blood. She had a crush on him when she was a little girl that turned into something so fierce she didn’t even know how to describe it any longer. Last week she had finally confessed to her mother that she and Asher were seeing each other. That hadn’t been a pretty conversation. It had ended with them both in tears. She had asked her mother what her problem was with the Fury’s. She hadn’t been able to give her a straight answer but she had told her that Asher was cocky and arrogant. She had started to say go on with more but Mia had stopped her by saying,
‘He is not any of those things. He’s sweet and compassionate and he’s going through so much right now and holding up like a champ. I have so much respect for him, Mom and he treats me with respect too. I’m sorry that you don’t approve but I’m not going to stop seeing him. You can forbid me and ground me but you can’t keep me a prisoner. I’ll find a way and in the meantime our relationship will be the one to suffer. I don’t want that and I hope you don’t either.’
She had left her mother crying but since then neither she nor Mia’s father had said anything to her about Asher. Travis had told her today that they hang up on him when he calls. Asher had never told her that. She wished her parents could try being that mature.
**
Asher opened the door to the restaurant and held it for Mia as she stepped inside. He placed his hand gently on the small of her back and that simple touch caused her heartrate to accelerate and her breath to catch in her throat. She loved how polite and respectful he was. He had been raised in a home with every advantage possible, yet he was one of the most down to earth people that she had ever met. Inside the restaurant was beautiful. Mia went to Mexico with her parents once on vacation. The restaurant reminded her of a ristorante they had eaten at when they were there. The lights were low and the tables were covered with brightly coloured tablecloths and red candles burning in the center of them. The walls were stucco and decorated with sombreros and ponchos and pictures of vaqueros. It was easy to imagine they had crossed the border and they were on an adventure.
The hostess greeted them and led them to a booth in the far corner of the restaurant. It was surrounded by potted palms and green plants that grew like vines along the walls. Soft music was piped out of the speakers on the walls and added the final touches to the atmosphere. The waiter arrived and took their drink orders and left menus. When he was gone, Asher turned his eyes on Mia. She loved the way his green eyes looked in the candlelight and it took her several seconds to realize she was staring at him like a mute idiot. She saw his lips quirk and she knew he noticed it too.
“This is really nice,” she said.
“Yeah, I like it back here. It’s like we’re the only ones in the place. You look beautiful.”
Mia felt her face go flush. She loved that he thought she was beautiful. She thought that she had never seen anything that looked as good as him. “Thank you,” she said. “So I heard my brother invite you to go fishing later.”
Asher laughed. “Another time,” he said, reaching across the table and taking her hand. “Tonight is about you and me.” Every time he touched her was like the first time and Mia found herself wondering if this was how a person knew they were in love. She wished that she could ask her mom. They had always been really close but the one subject that was off limits where her mother was concerned was anything to do with the Fury’s.
The waiter brought drinks and took their food orders and after he left Asher said, “My mom keeps asking me to invite you over for dinner. I was thinking maybe Sunday after church if you have time.”
“I’d like that.” Mia genuinely liked Asher’s mom. She always went out of her way to say hello to Mia and ask how she was doing and it always felt sincere.
They talked about everything while they ate and Mia marvelled not for the first time how easy he was to talk to and how they were able to talk about everything that was going on in their lives. She had only dated two guys before him, but in comparison, Asher was worlds apart.
After dinner they went for a walk in the moonlight. “I love this time of year,” she told him as they walked under the huge trees with their vibrantly-colored leaves. The gentle breeze was cool, but not cold. It was just enough to let them know that the changing of the seasons was at hand. She shivered and Asher put his arm around her. As they walked along under the stars she looked up and made a wish that things between them would never change. She had outgrown the other boys she dated. Asher was a year older than her and he would graduate and go away to college while she was still in high school. She tried not to let herself worry about silly things that hadn’t happened yet but she had never wanted anything as much as she wanted Asher Fury in her life forever.
They were a few miles from the restaurant when Asher stopped walking and pulled her into his arms. She had to tip her head back to look up into his green eyes. The scent of his cologne filled her nostrils and everything inside of her seemed to turn into hot liquid. Mia had never considered having sex with any of the boys she had dated before but with Asher, she thought about it a lot. She could feel the heat emanating from his body and she wanted nothing more than to burrow herself into his hard chest. He rested one of his large hands on the side of her face and dragged his thumb across her bottom lip. He exuded masculinity and sex and Mia knew that if he asked her, she would willingly and happily give her virginity to him.
He let his hand slide around and cupped the back of her neck. She closed her eyes as his lips descended down onto hers in a deep kiss. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her legs felt weak as he brushed his full soft lips against hers. Fireworks exploded in her head when he did that and she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself in closer. Their sweet kiss turned into a hungry, needful thing with a mind of its own as their tongues twisted and they explored each other’s mouths.
Flames of passion burned hot in her chest and intensified as she felt Asher’s hands moving up her sides underneath her blouse. She didn’t stop him. She had no desire to. His hands were warm and his grip was possessive and sexy and she loved it. His tongue continued to stab in and out between her lips as one of his hands reached and covered her breas
t. She moaned into the kiss as he palmed it and ran his fingers across the hard nipple that was pressing against the inside of her bra.
When he pulled his mouth back she opened her eyes. There was a look of raw desire on his face and Mia thought she had never seen anything so sexy. “I’ve dreamed about touching you,” he whispered. Mia let out a little whimper as he said, “I wondered what you would taste like and how you would feel. The reality is so much better than I imagined.” While he whispered his desires to her he pinched one of her nipples lightly between his fingertips. The pressure of his touch caused an arc of electricity to throb between her legs.
No boy or man had ever touched her like this and Mia knew in her heart that she never wanted anyone other than Asher to touch her there.
When he let go of her breast his breath was coming in short gasps. Mia could feel the evidence of how badly he wanted her pressed into her belly. She reached up and took his face in her hands and pulled his lips back down to hers. This time while they kissed, she let her hands explore his body, running them up underneath his shirt and feeling his hot, hard flesh. She ran them down his arms and felt the muscles in his biceps. He kept kissing her as she touched him, flexing his hips into her in a rocking motion, grinding his jean-clad erection against her body.
This time when they came up for air he said, “God Mia we better stop.”
She smiled wickedly, feeling braver than she ever had. “Why?” she said in a breathless voice. “I don’t want to stop.”
She saw Asher look around. They were standing near a park on the edge of the river. There were streets on all sides of the park and not twelve feet away a homeless man sat on a bench. He kissed her on her lips again and said, “Not tonight. Not like this. Our first time together is going to be special.” He kissed her one more time before taking her hand and leading her towards the path that would take them back to the car. She was slightly disappointed, but she also appreciated the fact that he was being so considerate of her. She knew that most seventeen-year-old boys would have taken her under the tree. Besides, it would be something to look forward to. The best something ever.